next story

So, Umm, My Life Is Mirroring The Notebook (but Is Way Less Romantic)

A strange thing is happening. My life is starting to resemble The Notebook, but it turns out that I’m no Allie and J’s no Noah. Shocking, I know.

Let’s be honest: Many of the most romantic scenes from our favorite chick flicks are nowhere near as dreamy in real life. This is absolutely the case for J and me as we’ve been accidentally reenacting the hottest Notebook moments. Let me explain.

Remember the scene where Noah climbs the Ferris wheel to ask Allie out on a date? J and I had a similar experience. Only we were riding the Ferris wheel at the Toys ‘R’ Us in Times Square munching on a bag of gummy worms from Candy Land surrounded by children at least 20 years younger. What?! We had never done it before! I know, I know, so totally unsexy.

How about the scene from Noah and Allie’s first date when the pair danced in the middle of the street? So cute. But you know what’s not cute? Doing pretty much anything in the middle of the street in NYC. A few months ago, when J and I were being photographed for our engagement shots, we managed to get a really amazing photo in the middle of the street in Times Square. The catch? It took about 15 times to get a shot that looked super sweet. Trust me, being dipped in the middle of Times Square and planting one on your lover is, well, not so hot after a handful of takes.

The scene where the couple plays in the ocean together? Umm, J is actually afraid of his feet touching the ocean floor. He’s been stung by so many jellyfish and bitten by so many crabs that he now has a full-out phobia of the beach. When he’s forced on a nautical playdate with me, he floats in the water with his feet where he can see them. It’s not exactly chick-flick material.

And I can’t help but smile thinking about the super-passionate kiss in the rain between Noah and Allie. Heck, it even won Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams an MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss. But can we just acknowledge for a second how incredibly uncomfortable it is to be caught in a spur-of-the-moment downpour? I mean, am I the only one who hates the feeling of being drenched, having my clothes stick to every inch of my body, and feeling cold and wet for hours after? Just last Sunday J and I were at the Yankees game and got caught in an insane thunderstorm. It was so windy and raining so hard that the fact that we had an umbrella made almost no difference. We ran home to Jersey as fast as we could, and it never occurred to us to pause for a make-out sesh. If anything, it was a major turn-off.

I guess we'll have to leave the mushy, gushy, push-me-against-the-wall-and-kiss-me stuff to the pros, huh?

My conclusion? Movie magic makes a big difference. (And it doesn't hurt if Gosling's your costar...) What do you think? Have you accidentally reenacted any of these scenes in real life? How’d it turn out for you?